Life, Unexpected
by the words left unsaid
Summary: '"Nick, you're thirteen years old... please remind me of the reasoning behind you needing four girlfriends," Blair says in a sharp tone, although a smile is playing on her glossy lips.' No matter how much they tried, the Upper East Side parents couldn't have prepared for teenage parenting.


Sawyer's seven and Nick's nine and they're at the beach with the Archibalds, the Humphreys and the Basses.

Sawyer crosses her short-clad legs, curling up on her fluffy blue towel and flicking the page of her book over. She looks around for a couple of seconds, but she doesn't really care what everyone else is doing because not _one_ of the nine others has asked her to play with them.

Nick is playing with Katherine Sparks - well, not exactly playing. She made a sand castle so he kicked it down because hers was better than his. So what? It kind of counts as playing... his mother is smiling at him, so he takes it as a good sign. He's been trying to keep an eye on Sawyer and get the others to include her, but they sort of brushed him off and they still aren't playing with her.

She looks lonely, he decides. He hates it when she's lonely but all he seems to do is irritate her when he tries to be nice to her.

"Katherine?"

"Hm?"

"Go and play with Sawyer and I'll build you a new sand castle - a better one."

The redhead grimaces, "But Sawyer is boring, and she _hates_ me!"

"She doesn't. She just wants someone to notice her."

"Okay," She sighs, pushing herself up off of the sand and walking towards the stern looking seven year old.

Nick then realizes that he's _terrible_ at making sand castles, but he'll have to make a good one this time.

* * *

"Happy tenth birthday Sawyer!" Everyone screams at her from the garden of the Humphreys' house, and she practically faints from surprise - she didn't expect _anyone_ to acknowledge her, much less a room full of people.

"Oh, don't you look _pretty_ Rosalyn?"

"That's a beautiful dress Rosalyn!"

"You look just like your mother Rosalyn."

It seems as if the only thing Sawyer is hearing on _her_ birthday is affection after affection being showered on Rosalyn. Okay, so she admits it. Rosalyn is _ever so_ pretty - she has _lovely_blonde waves that tumble to her waist, and glittering cerulean eyes framed by the darkest eyelashes Sawyers ever seen. Her lips are perfect and pale pink, and her skin always has a sunkissed glow to it.

But it's Sawyers birthday, everyone should be telling her how pretty _she_ is! Not fawning over her twelve year old sister. Rosalyn is adored every day of the year.

And in the buzz of the room it's as if Sawyer has once again faded into the background, and it's like Nick reads her mind because he's in front of her as she slumps onto the plush leather chair her dad always sits in, and he tells her she looks very pretty - prettier than any other girl he's ever seen.

Usually, she would tell him to go away and leave her alone because he's a _Bass_, and although his mummy and daddy are her mummy and daddys very best friends... she still doesn't really trust him.

Then he reminds her _why_ she doesn't really trust him.

"This is my new girlfriend, her name is Rachel." The brunette, dark eyed boy says almost too brightly for his usual dark self.

And suddenly, the compliment he just paid her seems empty and she feels just as inadequate as she did five minutes ago.

* * *

"Nick, you're thirteen years old... please remind me of the reasoning behind you needing _four_ girlfriends," Blair says in a sharp tone, although a smile is playing on her glossy lips.

And truthfully - Nick doesn't know _why _he needs four girlfriends... he hates them all and finds them all equally repulsive. "I don't know _mother_, maybe I want to find my fairytale ending quicker than you and dad and the easiest way to go about that is by dating four girls at a time... but they're all equally disgusting, so you don't need to worry about teen pregnancy." He winks at the shocked expression marring Blairs face.

"We Bass men take care of our business Nicholas-" Chuck adds in, before being cut off by Blairs pointed expression, "- I mean, uh, your mother is right. One girl at a time, _please_, and there will definitely be no teenage pregnancy." He smirks.

"_Definitely _not Nicholas Bass. And if you aren't mocking me with the thought about fairytale endings - good things come to those who wait, so don't be impatient."

Nick is serious - he wants a fairytale ending and he wants it _soon ... _he guesses that's his mothers personality coming out in him. After all, he had to be like her in _some_ ways.

* * *

Sawyer's studying at the entry hall desk, and becoming rather engrossed in Shakespeare - she has to admit.

"Hey Sawyer." Grace Bass brings her out of her thoughts, with a slightly taller Nick Bass trailing behind her and their parents.

"Hello Grace, Chuck, Blair... Nick." She's hesitant to say his name but she's not really sure why... it's just that dark, searing gaze he always seems to give her that completely unnerves her. Chuck and Blair greet her happily before making off in search of her parents, and Grace skips up the stairs to find Rosalyn, leaving Nick. It's always her and Nick when the Humphreys and Basses get together, and she hates it.

She turns the page of her Romeo and Juliet script, but her long hair keeps falling onto the page and eventually she can't be bothered to blow the loose strands away so she grabs her thick brown hair and pulls it into a ponytail, and only then does she notice Nick standing awkwardly with his hands in his pockets.

"Brody's here somewhere you know... you don't need to stand and stare at me," She says uncomfortably.

"I know, but I was just thinking, I did this stuff when I was twelve and maybe I could help you? After all, I did inherit my mothers brains." He winks playfully, feeling slightly less on edge.

"I inherited my fathers brains, and I think we both know not to underestimate that fact..."

"They're both very intelligent people, but I _am_ two years older. Brody can be a real bore, I'd rather help you."

She sighs, knowing she won't win in this - his parents _are_ Chuck and Blair Bass, after all. "Okay... I was a little confused at the meaning of this line to be honest."

And for once, the feeling is light between them, and the time actually flies by.

* * *

It's that day of the month again - brunch day. It's easily Sawyers worst day of the month, because the Humphreys, the Basses and the Archibalds all get together under one roof with a whole bunch of people Sawyer doesn't want to talk to, but talk to her nevertheless.

Everyone else loves brunch days - Rosalyn dresses all pretty and gossips with Grace and sometimes Katherine for the whole two hours, Brody and Tristan usually pair up while Nick and Will make their rounds and try to get themselves known despite the fact that they're only fourteen. Everyone has a bloody great time, except Sawyer.

She doesn't know what it is, she's liked well enough, she's reasonably pretty she thinks - with strong cheekbones, dead straight long brown hair, brown eyes, pale skin and a figure a lot like her mothers... people say she's a great mix of both her parents, but her personality is a lot like her dads. If her personality is like her dads, how on _earth_ did he manage to get her mother if he too had the social skills of a parrot?

Maybe it's because she's the youngest of the nine of them... but Katherine is her age too, yet everyone treats her like she's one of the older children.

She scans the Bass dining room as she enters, and finds everyone in their usual groupings but with one difference - Will is with Katherine, meaning Nick must be making rounds on his own. She doesn't know why, but she finds herself scanning the room for him and then can't help but feel a little dissapointed when he's sliding round the room with a protective arm around a pretty blonde.

It's like he can feel her eyes on the back of his head like she always can with him because he spins round and looks at her strangely, before sauntering over with the chatty blonde still under his arm.

"Want to come and hang out with us?" He does that weird half smile thing, making everything feel more awkward than it has to because Nick is _not_ a smiler.

"No." Sawyer crosses her arms and looks at the floor glumly, because why on earth would she want to tag along with Nick and his fourty fourth girlfriend of the year?

And then he leans over into the blondes ear, whispering something, and Sawyer watches as a smirk spreads across her face and she giggles before turning on her heel and walking out the room.

"What about now?" He smirks instead of smiling, this time.

* * *

Nick sighs as he's dragged into another shop, he can't believe Will got him into this just so he could be with Rosalyn.

It means he can be around Sawyer... but still, it's not always fun between them. In fact, it's rarely fun between them. He wishes she would just let go and be fun - he knows she can be, he's seen it.

And as the two girls step out the changing room in their dresses, they look to each other and then to the boys and Nick can't help but realize the look on Sawyers face is positively miserable.

"You look so pretty Rose." Sawyer sighs, eyeing her fifteen year old sister jealously as she does a twirl for a clapping William. The tight black and backless dress does look amazing on Rosalyn, Nick decides, but can't Sawyer see herself?

"So do you Sawyer! You're figure is amazing. I'm so straight up and down." It's true, her figure is definitely not her mothers, more resembling her aunt Jenny with incredibly long legs and a generally thin body.

Sawyer on the other hand, despite the fact she's only thirteen, has curves in all the right places and perfectly shaped legs. The white lace dress looks absolutely magnificent on her, and Nick finds it hard to believe that she doesn't see this. "Yeah Sawyer, you look hot too." Nick winks, covering his compliment with his sleaziness.

The brunette rolls her eyes as Rosalyn and Will start to laugh, before dissapearing off into the changing room.

"You're getting that dress Sawyer!" Rosalyn calls to her.

If she doesn't get it, he's buying it for her.

* * *

Sawyer sits on one of the many chairs in the living room as the party gets rowdier and the one minute countdown to New Years begins - she rolls her eyes because all the couples are getting together and waiting to kiss. Who wants to kiss her? No one.

She scans the room and spots a few couples that she knows - firstly, there's her mum and dad, Chuck and Blair, Nate and Vanessa, and then there's Rosalyn and Will, Grace and Tristan, Katherine and Brody (where did the two of them come from? she guesses they must be a little intoxicated), and she can't help but notice that she Nick is no where to be found.

But then she sees him, and her heart sinks to her feet but she's not exactly sure _why_ because Nick is just a man whore, and he doesn't care about her, she's just friendly with him because she's obliged to be so. Right?

_10..._

Nick spots her from across the room and looks between the smiley brunette in his arms and the sad brunette on the sofa.

_9..._

He's only sixteen and _definitely_ not supposed to have been drinking scotch, but it's New Years Eve and he should be allowed to have a little fun.

_8..._

The alcohol is probably blurring his judgement as much as it's blurring his eyesight but he decides to leave the cheerful girl in his arm in exchange for the one on the sofa.

_7..._

He walks across the room, bumping into many excited groups of people.

_6..._

The girl he just walked away from - Laura, Lauren, Lucie, was it? He can't remember and he doesn't care, but she's calling after him.

_5..._

Sawyer seems forever and a day away and he desperately hopes he'll make it there in time.

_4..._

Suddenly, brown eyes lock on each other and Nick feels as if the room is frozen.

_3..._

He shakes it off, deciding the alcohol must really be getting to him.

_2..._

Almost there. "Nick, what are you-"

_1..._

He ignores her and cuts her off with a kiss, not thinking about the repercussions for now.

"Happy New Years!" Everyone in the room shouts in unison, but Nick has his hands tangled in her _lovely_ hair, his lips locked on hers, and he really doesn't care about anything else right now.

And Sawyer has no clue what the _hell_ that was but what she does know is that she's fourteen and it's her first kiss, and although she couldn't have asked for anything better, she wants nothing more than to hide from his burning gaze once he pulls away, because everything is going to change now.

And there's nothing Sawyer hates more than change.

* * *

**A/N-** Hello wonderful people! I may be crazy because I'm incredibly busy at the moment but I couldn't get this idea out of my head so I'm starting a new fic. It's going to be focused around Sawyer, Brody and Rosalyn ... I think.

Just in case that was at all confusing, the fic will officially start (and I haven't decided if I'm going to do this sort of thing for Brody and for Rosalyn, but probably) with the ages like this:

Rosalyn Humphrey - 16

Brody Humphrey - 15

Sawyer Humphrey - 14

Nick Bass - 16

Grace Bass - 16

Will Archibald - 16

Tristan Archibald - 15

Katherine Sparks - 14

Although not by any means will the fic be featured around all nine of these kids, I expect it to be the Humphrey kids and the other kids are just a big part of their lives.

**ANYHOW... sorry for the huge authors note, but I felt it was necessary. Pretty please drop me a review because I won't continue if people don't like this - I want to write something everyone enjoys :) so if you did like it and want me to continue, let me know!**


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